Device for setting animal-traps.



J. E. ALLEN & F. I. ELLIS. nEvwE FOB. SETTING ANIMAL mus.

' v APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 191.1. 1,01 1,102. I

C0,, WASHINGTON Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIOE.

JARED E. ALLEN AND FERRANID F. ELLIS, OF ONE-IDA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TOONEIDA COMMUNITY LIMITED, OF ONEIDA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

DEVICE FOR SETTING ANIMAL-THAT'S.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 9, 1911.

having all of the advantages of the deviceset forth in Patent #898,731September 15, 1908 together with the additional advantages that it maybe used for setting traps of various sizes and that the operating leveris more eifectively locked in its setting position against accidentalrelease.

invention is to render the device capable of being used for settingtraps of various sizes by providing the spring engaging loop with aplurality of spring engaging members spaced different distances from thepoint of connection of said loop with the operating lever.

Another object is to provide means coacting with the loop to hold thelever in its set position against accidental release.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description:

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a side elevation of an animal trap and ourimproved setting device in position for setting the trap, the jaws ofthe trap and movable parts of the setting device being also shown bydoteed lines in their released positions or about to be moved to thiersetting positions. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan of the same trap andsetting device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of thedetached trap setting device. Fig. 41 is a transverse sectional viewthrough a portion of the setting device and trap taken on line 4-4, Fig.1.

In order that the operation of our invention may be clearly understoodwe have shown an ordinary animal trap comprising a supporting base'-1-,opposed jaws 2 and a spring 3, the base 1 preferably consisting of a barof plate or spring metal having its intermediate portion arched upwardlyand its opposite ends bent in the same direction to form suitable ears 4having apertures 5 for receiving the pintles 6- of the jaws -2.

The spring --3 preferably consists of a single leaf or plate tensionedso as to normally assume a substantially straight line and is ofsomewhat greater length than the length of the base -1-, one end of saidspring being reduced in width forming a tongue 7' which is passedthrough a laterally elongated slot -8- near the junction of one of theears -4.- with the main body of the base -1 so as to hold the adjacentend of the spring in close contact with the adjacent portion of theouter convex face of the base.

The tongue -7 is deflected upwardly in close proximity to the base toprevent accidental withdrawal of the spring therefrom and is suitablyapertured for receiving a swivel bolt 9, the latter being adapted Themain object, therefore, of our present to be connected by a chain 10 toany suitable anchoring device, not necessary to herein illustrate ordescribe. The opposite end of the spring extends some distance be yondthe corresponding end of the base and is provided with an opening 11---and a reduced terminal tongue 12 forming shoulders 13 for a purposehereinafter described.

The object of the opening -11 is to receive the adjacent ends of thejaws 2 and corresponding ear 1-. of the base 1-- to permit said springto be depressed below the plane of the pintles 6. The width of theopening is approximately equal to but slightly larger than thecorresponding width of the adjacent ends of the jaws when closed so thatwhen the spring is re leased, the walls of the opening will ride alongthe outer edges of and eflectively close said jaws. Secured to the base1-- is a laterally extending cross bar 14- upon which is mounted in anywell known manner the usual platform -15 and detent or catch -16, theseparts being well known in the art and it is therefore unnecessary tofurther illustrate'or describe the same as they form no part of ourpresent invention.

Trap setting cZem'ce.-The trap setting device forming the subject matterof this invention comprises an attaching member 17, an operating lever18, and a spring engaging and tensioning member 19. The attaching member17 is adapted to be detachably interlocked with a portion of one end ofthe base -1' nearest the free end of the spring -3- as shown moreparticularly in Figs. 1 and 2 and in order that this may be done easilyand quickly, one end of the attaching member is bent or oil'setlaterally at substantially right angles to the main upright body as '20and folded upon itself to form an intervening groove or recess -21- ofjust sufficient depth to easily receive the portion of the base 1 withwhich itis adapted to engage, the offset portions at opposite sides ofthe loop serving to hold the attaching member against relativetransverse movement on the base and at the same time permitting thesetting device to be easily and quickly placed in operative position andremoved after the trap is set.

The operating lever -18- is pivotally connected by a rivet 22 to thelower end of the upright portion --20 of the attaching member -17-, saidrivet having its opposite ends protruding outwardly some distance andconvexed to frictionally engage the tensioning member l9 and hold theoperating lever 18 against accidental release when the device is in itssetting position or while the jaws are being locked in their openposition by means of the detent 16 and cooperating portion of the platform -15. The spring tensioning member 19 preferably consists of asingle piece of spring wire bent in the form of a loop and having itsopposite ends pivotally connected by a rivet or bolt 23- to theintermediate portion of the operating lever l8 but nearer to the pivot-22-.

In order that this device may be used for setting traps of various sizesin which the springs -3 are of varying lengths and degrees of verticalmovement, the free end of the tensioning device or loop 19 is providedwith a plurality of, in this instance two, sets of spring engagingmembers 25 and 26 spaced diflferent distances apart from the point ofconnection as 23 of said tensioning member with the operating lever 18.The spring engaging members 25- are formed by bending portions ofopposite sides of the loop l9, just inside of the engaging member 26-,inwardly toward each other leaving suHicient clearance between theengaging members -25 and -26 for the reception of the tongue 12 of thespring 3-.

The space between opposite sides of the loop 19 just at the inner sidesof the members 25. and 26 is approximately equal to or slightly greaterthan the width of the tongue 12 so as to allow either portion of theloop to be slipped over and upon said tongue and against the shoulders13, the latter forming limiting stops to prevent further inward movementof the loop along the tongue during the operation of setting the trap.

The openings in the loop for the reception,

of the tongue -l2 of the spring 3- may be designated respectively by thereference letters a and a and it is now evident that the tongue may beinserted through either one of these openings according to the size ofthe trap or degree of movement of the free end of the spring necessaryto shift it from its normal position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 toits extreme tension postion below the pintles -6 as shown by full linesin the same figure.

In the operation of setting the trap by means of the lever 18,, the loopl9 is moved across the axis of the pivotal, bolt 22-. and in order thatthis movement to the upper side of the axis may not be excessive orsufiicient to cause the loop 'l9 to slide off from the tongue 12 of thespring 3, we provide the upright portion 20- of the attaching member 17-with a suitable stop shoulder-28 just above and at one side of the pivot22 so as to engage the upper edge of the operating lever as soon as theloop 19 has been moved slightly past the axis of the pivotal bolt -22.The normal distance between the inner sides of the opposite arms of theloop -19 where they intersect the axis of.

the pivotal bolt -22- during the operation of the lever -18 in settingthe trap is slightly less than the distance between the points of theouter ends of said pivotal bolt soias to cause these portions of theloop to frictionally ride over said points, during which the oppositesides of the loop are sprung slightly apart, thereby causing theopposite sides of the loop to frictionally bind against the oppositeends of the'pivotal bolt -22- to hold the operating lever in itsoperative position against accidental release, while the jaws are beinglocked in their open position. 7

In setting the trap by means of this device, the attaching member -l7-is first slipped over and upon the end of the base 1 nearest the freeend of the spring 3- so as to rest against the inner side of theadjacent ear -4:-, whereupon the loop -19 is rocked to its operativeposition to engage one or the other of the members 25 or -26 (accordingto the size of the trap) with the tongue 12 of the spring 3, the partsbeing then in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. l, whereuponthe lever 18 is rocked by hand to the position shown by full lines untilthe intermediate portion of the loop is carried'upwardly past the axisof the pivotal bolt 22 or until said lever is limited in its upwardmovement by engagement with the stop .28, at which/time the oppositesides of the loop are in frictional contact with the convex ends of thepivotal bolt 22- just above its axis to hold'the-lever againstaccidental release. During this operation, the free end of the spring 3-will have been drawn downwardly against its own tension below thepintles -6, thereby allowing the jaws to be opened or set in the usualmanner.

After the trap is set in the manner described, the lever 18 is rocked ina reverse direction to release the tensioning member 19- from the tongue12 of the spring 3, whereupon the attaching member -17 may be readilyWithdrawn by hand from operative engagement with the base l so that thesame device may be used for setting any number of traps.

WVhat we claim is:

1. A trap setting device having a longitudinally movablespring-tensioning member provided with spring-engaging shoulders spacedapart in the direction of movement for engaging and tensioning thesprings of traps of diiferent sizes, and means for operating thetensioning member.

2. A trap setting device having a springtensioning member, means foroperating said member, and additional means frictionally engaged by saidmember for holding it and its operating means in its spring-tensioningposition.

3. A trap setting device comprising an attaching member for attachmentto a portion of a trap, a lever pivoted to said member, aspring-tensioning member pivoted to the lever and having a plurality ofspring engaging members different distances from its pivot for engagingthe springs of traps of diiferent sizes.

4. A trap setting device comprising an attaching member for attachmentto a portion of a trap, a lever pivoted to said member, aspring-tensioning member pivoted to the lever and having a plurality ofspringengaging members different distances from its pivot for engagingthe springs of traps of different sizes, said tensioning member beingmovable to opposite sides of the axis of the lever, the pivot of thelever having portions thereof projecting into the path of movement ofportions of the tensioning member to frictionally engage said tensioning member and thereby hold it and the lever in operative position forsaid trap.

5. A trap setting device comprising an attaching member for attachmentto a portion of the trap, a lever pivoted to the attaching member andhaving the ends of its pivot protruding beyond the side faces of thelever and attaching member, a springtensioning member having oppositearms pivoted at one end of the lever and their opposite ends connectedto each other and provided with spring-engaging members at differentdistances from the point of connection of said arms with the lever, anda stop for limiting the movement of the lever in one direction.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

JARED E. ALLEN. FERRAND F. ELLIS.

Witnesses:

E. F. KITENDAUGH, A. G. JONES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

